Minority, labor leaders call for civilian oversight as part of Newark police reform

NEWARK — Civil rights groups, labor leaders and others gathered at Newark City Hall this afternoon to demand a seat at the table as the city and U.S. Department of Justice work to formulate a plan to reform the city’s embattled police department.

The New Jersey chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union and NAACP, the New Jersey Working Families Alliance and People’s Organization for Progress were among the organizations that held a press conference to call for independent civilian oversight of the city's police department — specifically in the form of a community advisory board and a civilian complaint review board with the power to both subpoena department records and discipline individual officers.

“We cannot have the fox guard the hen house,” said Udi Ofer, executive director of the state’s ACLU.

“Police officers are provided with extraordinary powers. Because they are given such extraordinary powers, we also need to make sure there are extraordinary measures to prevent abuses.”

The groups’ announcement comes two days after U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman and DOJ officials unveiled the results of a two-year investigation into the force’s practices and procedures. Among its findings was that up to 75 percent of the pedestrian "stop and frisks' may have been unconstitutional, and that the city’s black residents had their rights violated more often than any other sector of the community.

Investigators also found that the department’s internal affairs division suffered from various systemic issues, that up to a fifth of its reported uses for force were excessive in nature, and that officers in various units had stolen from suspects and prisoners.

The groups, which also included the Ironbound Community Corporation and healthcare workers union 1199 SEIU, called the proposed reforms to the force a long-awaited moment that had potential to fundamentally change the lives of city residents.

“This is validation and affirmation to decades of marching and rallying for a stronger city and more just police department,” said RaShawn Davis, an ACLU organizer and Newark native.

The monitor, expected to be appointed in mid-September, will likely oversee the force for several years, depending on its ability to meet predetermined benchmarks designed to measure the pace of reform.

The creation of a community advisory board and civilian review board, the organizations argued, would ensure that the changes would remain in effect long after any monitor leaves town.

“No one can be expected to do a good job if there is no sense of accountability. If nobody is reviewing your work, if no one is ensuring the integrity of your work, it is very difficult to do a good job, no matter what your job is,” said Emily Turonis, an organizer with the Ironbound Community Corporation.

Whether federal authorities intend to impose such measures is unclear. While DOJ officials have reached an agreement in principle with city leaders that calls for “civilian review” of the police department and additional “community engagement”, U.S. Attorney Paul Fishman said Tuesday that no specific plans for a complaint review board or other measures are in place.

Many of the speakers offered praise for new Mayor Ras Baraka’s welcoming stance toward federal intervention, and called on him to consult with members of the community while the city and DOJ finalize the details of an official consent decree that will finalize the reforms.